I Know You Are, But What Am I?
by forever.young '94
Summary: Just something I wrote for creative writing in school, added some changes and characters for you guys! One-Shot, enjoy!


"Hey, are you okay?"

A voice tinged with concern, struggled to be heard from beneath the loud, jangly music emanating from the jukebox. Lifting my head from my hands, I blinked up at the figure looming over me. His dark eyes were clear and sincere from behind his glasses, and he wore a threadbare slogan t-shirt. His dark hair was scruffy and hanging down his forehead.

Brushing away the sweat at my hairline, I attempted to smile at the boy. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." The room flared with colour for moment before I blinked it away, drawing in a rattling breath.

The boy's brows furrowed in worry. "Are you sure?" He gestured to me, almost spilling one of the drinks in his hands, "you look like you're about to pass out."

The high neck of my jumper felt tight around my throat; gathering heat and making me perspire. My stomach was churning. "I'm fine, really," I gathered up my bag and shoved my textbook inside. There was no way I could concentrate, especially not in this cafe, surprisingly crowded for a Thursday night. And especially not feeling like this; feverish and nauseous and on edge.

The boy didn't say anything as I smiled fleeting at him and headed for the exit. Pausing before pushing the heavy door open, I turned back to see the boy crossing the room to another table where a small, pretty red head was sitting, legs swinging from her stool.

The frigid, New York air swirled around me as I stepped out of the buzzing cafe, the air slightly tainted with the rich aroma of wood fire pizza from Benito's on the corner block. I took a deep breath, hoping it would steady my racing heartbeat. I had no idea why my body was going haywire. _I must be coming down with something,_ I thought, tugging my sweater off, despite the chill of the air around me. My body was burning with fever.

As I stooped over to slip my sweater into my bag, I saw someone leaving the cafe. He slipped out the door fluidly, letting the noise behind him drift up out among the city lights. There was something about him that made me stop what I was doing and watch.

The streetlamp behind him obscured his features, leaving him as only a sharp outline against the orange glare of the light. I don't know why I could not tear my gaze away from him. It may have been because he was wearing all black, or that from what I could tell he appeared to be very good looking, in that dark, dangerous way. Or, most likely, it was due to the fact that as he closed the door behind him, he retracted a glinting, twisted blade from his inner coat pocket.

I watched as he checked covertly over his shoulder, his body very still, obviously powerful even when motionless. Then he turned his head and looked at me.

I _felt _his gaze burning through me, burning through me in a way that left my heart locked in an icy snare. He took one step in my direction, and that was enough for my instincts to scream one word: _run._

I darted around crowds of people, trying to control my limbs and stop them from sprinting down the cold, slick path, afraid of drawing attention. I briskly walked, glancing over my shoulder several times, searching for the stranger. When I couldn't see the dark, dangerous figure through the crowd, doubt began to seep through my fear. _You might just be acting paranoid,_ I told myself. _He probably saw someone behind you. Why on earth would anyone deliberately go after you with a knife? You're a nobody! Invisible. It doesn't make sense._

The voice in my head seemed adamant, yet my body was still on high alert; my pulse was thundering in my ears, my nerves were tingling. It was as though my body, my instincts, knew something my conscious mind would not begin to comprehend.

I turned my head back to face the world in front of me, attempting to steady my breath and calm myself down. But just as I turned, a dark stature appeared at my right, swiftly shoving me into a narrow alley that had opened just to the side of me.

I gasped, choking on my breath. His push was rough; I stumbled against the filthy wall, throwing my hands out to catch myself. I made to lunge for the street, but _he _was there, his bulk blocking the exit. My heart began to hammer against my ribcage. Fear stole the strength in my legs, turning them weak.

"I'm not afraid of you!" I shrieked at him, but the catch in my voice betrayed me. The air around me seemed to solidify into ice, locking my limbs and trapping desperate breath in my throat. He gave a dangerous smile that was all fox and began to stalk forward, my death in his eyes.

I backed away frantically, my false bravado draining away from me like the blood in my face. Cool, rough blue stone bricks met my back, its cold seeping through the thin material of my t-shirt and sending violent tremors down my spine. The alley was dank and dark; the only light came from the far off open road, too far away to provide any comfort. Amidst my panic I mentally calculated the chances of getting past him and reaching the light before he had the opportunity to catch me.

"I wouldn't," he murmured in response to my thoughts, his silky voice one with the darkness. My heart gave a desperate _thump_. All I could see of him was a tall silhouette and two glowing, golden beams of light that were his eyes. "Are you one of them?" he asked, a lethal blade now sliced through that silk.

"One of what?" I implored wildly, wishing I could melt into the wall and disappear. His long, deliberate strides were bringing him closer.

"Don't play with me, _Ornias,_" he snarled, close enough now that I could distinguish his features. Dark blonde hair hung in an untidy fashion around his head like an unlikely halo, his fair complexion gave off a sort of glow, like starlight within the twilight of the alley. His teeth glittered, as did the twister dagger he held in his hand.

"Please," I begged, the breath rasping through my teeth. "I don't know what you're talking about!" _Don't you? _My fingers scrabbled against the rough stone behind me, searching for an escape. A short, brief flash of hesitation flashed across his face.

That was all I needed.

I ran at him, ducking under his outstretched arms. My feet slipped against the slick ground, making me lurch forward like I had been yanked onward by an invisible force. His reflexes were lightning fast; he recovered from his shock hardly a second later and clamped an iron hand around my arm, hauling me back with incredible strength. My head smashed against the wall, the impact sending strange ripples down my spine as I slid down the stone fence, landing in a crumpled heap on the ground. His figure blurred as it loomed above me, blocking the small slice of sky that showed from between the two high buildings. My head reeled and the buzzing feeling running along my spine travelled out to my veins, growing stronger, hotter.

"You are an abomination," his voice was a low growl. "You're not human: you're a monster. We only deserve one shape, one form. Shape shifting is an attribute only demons possess, and demons must be obliterated. Obliterated by people like me."

I squeezed my eyes shut, the sharp tang of fear coating my tongue with all its bitterness. Sweat crept down my neck as I waited for the one and only plunge of the wicked dagger. The burning sensation that ran through my veins now began to attack my every nerve, flames of a blazing fire raced across my skin. I tried to ignore the tongues of flames that scorched a path along my limbs. To ignore my body's screams, I focused on one last, desperate thought: to have wings, like that of a large bird. Then I could be free.

My body burst into flames.

Excruciating pain exploded from every nerve, from deep within my bones. My shoulder blades bowed inward under a crushing force, the sound of bones crunching grated against my eardrums. My body couldn't handle the pressure. I thought I was going to shatter; the seams of me were _splitting_. A harsh cry ripped out from my chest, and in my peripheral vision I saw the boy stagger backwards in shock, his face a mask of astonishment. He hurled the dagger towards me in one swift movement, the blade ricocheting light as it spun thrice before sinking into the wall just where I had been standing a millisecond ago.

Adrenaline pumping, I had pushed off the ground, leaving the hunter behind on the earth just as the dagger had been released, and watched the sky soar forward to wrap itself around my form, the gold and crimson of a fire lit horizon reaching for me. I whirled around in bewilderment to see great, rustling white wings protruding from my shoulders.

With a triumphant caw, I flapped my wings and wheeled towards the sinking sun, feeling the wind lift me higher, ruffling my feathers and taking me to another life, to my freedom.


End file.
